bsiderecords

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 - 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝗜
Released in 1974, Queen II is arguably the band's most "pure" progressive rock statement. Eschewing the radio-friendly hits of their later years, the album is divided into "Side White" (primarily written by Brian May) and "Side Black" (written by Freddie Mercury).

It is a sprawling, gothic, and incredibly dense work that showcases the band's mastery of overdubbing and complex vocal arrangements. The production by Roy Thomas Baker remains a benchmark for hard rock engineering. The 2015/recent Abbey Road Half-Speed Mastered pressings are the gold standard for this album.

They bring out the clarity in Brian May’s layered guitar orchestrations on Father to Son and Ogre Battle, while providing the necessary dynamic range for the sheer bombast of The March of the Black Queen. This album is the definitive "headphone record".

When listened to on a high-quality vinyl setup, the separation between Freddie’s multi-tracked piano parts and the intricate percussion of Roger Taylor reveals the sheer ambition of a band that was essentially "doing anything they wanted" before they became the global stadium act of the 80s.

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ktzm0pPtVnMm1p9puS6dtduVgKuQhxLFQ&si=bo6LHKFcjHSZ67Eo

https://bsiderecords.co/queen-queen-ii-vinyl-record.html